Mike Mitchell, president of sales for Nestlé USA, is to take the helm at local unit Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream.

Mitchell becomes president and CEO replacing Timothy Kahn, who is retiring from the position of CEO of Dreyer's, which has been owned by Nestle since 2006.

As president of sales for Nestlé since 2002, Mitchell was responsible for all retail sales for supermarkets, mass merchandising, discounters, club stores, drug stores and military.

Prior to that, he was president/general manager of the beverage division of Nestlé USA, responsible for overseeing the entire beverage operation in the United States, including the Coffee-mate, Nesquik, Nescafe and Juicy Juice brands.

In 1995, Mitchell moved to Nestlé Food Services as senior vice president, sales. In 1998, he added marketing responsibilities to his role as senior vice president, sales and marketing.

In 2000, Mitchell became senior vice president of marketing to create a stronger focus on strategic development and long-term growth.